Reuters-EU-ASEAN meeting in jeopard

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Subject: Reuters-EU-ASEAN meeting in jeopardy over Myanmar

EU-ASEAN meeting in jeopardy over Myanmar
11:59 a.m. Feb 22, 1999 Eastern
LUXEMBOURG, Feb 22 (Reuters) - A planned European Union meeting with
Southeast Asian countries was in doubt on Monday after several EU member
states maintained their strong opposition to the participation of Myanmar's
foreign minister.

``The positions were more or less the same,'' one EU source said after EU
foreign ministers failed to break a deadlock over how to handle the planned
March 30 Berlin meeting between the EU and the Association of South East
Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He said the ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, had asked Germany, as current
president of the 15-nation EU, to try to find a solution to the diplomatic
impasse.

``The one stumbling block is the human rights situation in Myanmar. The
presidency will do all it can to ensure the meeting takes place. At the
moment, I cannot say whether it will or not,'' German Deputy Foreign
Minister Hans-Friedrich von Ploetz, who chaired the ministerial meeting,
told a news conference.

Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and several Scandinavian EU members are
opposed to granting a visa to attend the meeting to the foreign minister of
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, because of the country's human rights
record.

All EU member governments are keen to meet with the other ASEAN members and
do not want to sour relations.

ASEAN insists that Myanmar, which joined the association 18 months ago, be
allowed to go to Berlin. Indonesia has said ASEAN will cancel the talks if
the row is not resolved.

EU diplomats have also said the meeting is likely to be cancelled if ASEAN
insists that the Myanmar foreign minister, Win Aung, be allowed to take
part.

EU sanctions against Myanmar include a ban on entry visas for the country's
leaders and the suspension of high-level government visits.

Member states would have to give their unanimous support if the bloc were to
make an exception for Win Aung, who on Friday accused the EU of reneging on
a deal to let Myanmar attend.

EU diplomats said that a March 29 Asia-Europe Meeting in Frankfurt --
involving foreign ministers from the EU and most ASEAN countries plus China
and Japan -- would probably still go ahead. Myanmar is not a member of this

grouping.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.